Grahame Begg always has a good two-year-old in his stable and it was only five years ago that he won Melbourne’s premier two-year-old event, the Blue Diamond Stakes.
While Begg’s two-year-old numbers are high this season, Written Bligh will be his first two-year-old runner when she heads out in the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m) at Sandown on Saturday.
Written Bligh is a daughter of Begg’s 2018 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Written By and was due to start her racing career nine days earlier, also at Sandown, in the Blue Diamond Preview.
But a wide draw that day delayed Written Bligh’s first start, but Begg is happy to take a shot on Saturday, from the outside draw, against eight opponents.
Begg said his decision to hold back his large team of two-year-olds was due to the wet conditions last year which he said was not ideal in educating his team.
“I’ve been careful with my two-year-olds this year,” Begg said.
“We had a wet spring and then a delayed spring, so I wanted them to get out in the paddock, get some good weather, so we’ve been very patient.
“We’ve got a lot that are in pre-training now and certainly over the next few months, they’ll be coming out, so you’ll see them later in the two-year-old season and certainly as three-year-olds.”
Written Bligh is owned by Grahame Begg Racing and the filly has been given the opportunity to get to Saturday’s race and potentially the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Sandown on February 25.
Begg said Written Bligh had had a couple of jump-outs at Cranbourne, one over 650m, her latest over 800m on January 16 where she finished second, beating home Serasana, an opponent on Saturday.
“She’s had two nice jump-outs and she’s been progressive in both of them,” Begg said.
“We haven’t really cranked her right up yet, but she’s done it well within herself and rounded her jump-outs off nicely.
“We think she’ll certainly come on from the run.
“She has drawn a tad awkwardly in the outside gate, but who knows, with the rain, it might be the right place to be.”